Clutch.



PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908.

RSTARR. CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED OUT.26. 1907.

- Hea er epic.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFXCE.

FRED STARR, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

Application filed October 26.1907. Serial No. 899.364.

To-oll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED STARR, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Fran-- cisco'fCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in 'clutchmechanism of that class which is designed to transform an intermittent oscillating motion into a rotary motion in one direction.

The invention is designed more especially for use in connection with a wave motor,

such as shown in Letters Patent #846460 granted to me J an. 1, 1907, in which the reciprocating movement imparted to an ele ment by the motion. of the waves is transferred to a rotary shaft by means of cables which pass around drums which, through the clutch mechanism impart the rotary motion to the shaft. The clutch mechanism includes such an exterior casing or drum mountel loosely upon the shaft to which rotary movement is to be imparted, while within the casing andupon the rotary shaft isa clutch member or core-having in its periphery a series of pocketswhich are inclined to any radius of the casing so as to be wider at the bottom than at the top, round bodies, such balls or rolls being located in thesepockets. Owing to the excessive strain,

the plane surfaces of the pockets upon which. the rollersbear during the grip 111g action are subjected to a great deal 0 wear, and

consequently these surfaces are provided with wear plates which are capable of being removed and renewed.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a construction, which, while being simple, durable and efficient, shall yet be capable of being so manipulated as to perm1t of access to the pockets for the removal of the wear plates without changing the core in any wayor removing the cables from the drum.

l have alsc aimed to provide such a clutch with means whereby the balls or -rollers which effect the gripping action may be held out of gripping action when desired whereby the clutch will be inactive.

With these and other objects in view the invention includes the features of con'struction and arrangement and combination of arts hereinafter described and particularly set forth in the appended claims.

of the cable which is wound thereon in An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 a

section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. dis a detail view.

Referring by reference characters-to these drawings, the numeral 1 designates the shaft to which rotary ni-ovement is to be imparted. Upon this is keyed or otherwise rigidly secured, a hub 2 which is provided with a central web member 3 and side pockets l. The pockets have preferably each a plane face extending at an angle to the .70

manner well understood by those skilled. in the art. Each shell 6 has its end fitting in an annular rabbet 3 in the web. Between each shell and the hub andin the correspond ing pockets are located the round bodies, such as balls or rolls as shown at 7, and it will be seen that oscillation of the shell or casing in one direction will cause the rollers to-travel outward within the pockets along the wear plates and to thus be wedged between the shell and wear plates locking thecasing or shell. firmlyjto the shaft while on rotation in the opposite direction the rolls pockets freeing the casing or shell from the shaft. These clutches are both alike and put upon the shaft the same way. They take the power at different times, and on op; posite movements of the propelling device,

'becauseof the manner of wrapping and hitching the cables. The cable is wrapped around one clutch from right to left, and around the other clutch from left to right (exactly the opposite) and both cables are attached to the same propelling device or head, thus giving .one clutch a forward revoiviugmotion on the upward pull or strain on one cable and giving the other clutch a forward revolving motion. on the downward, pull or strain of the other the will drop back in the deeper portions of the cable. .The grooved casings or shells are held in place upon the rabbeted portion of the cen-' tra to the hubs by bolts 9 passing through openings in the plates and carrying nuts 10. Between each plate and the corresponding clutch portion of the hub is located an annular ring 11, the hub being rabbeted as shown at 12 to form a seat for the ring. This ring carries a plurality of pins 12, one for each pocket, and each ring has a rod or arm 13 which projects through an elongated slot 'in the disk 8. This arm has a turned over end as shown at 13 and this is engaged by an inclined slot 14 in an arm 14, which is carried by a collar 15 splined or otherwise suitably secured upon the shaft so as to rotate therewith, while being capable of l ngitudinal movement on the shaft. I

The collar is provided with an annular groove designed to receive the fork of a shifting lever (not shown). By operating the shifting lever and thus moving the collar towards or from the clutch the engagement of the angularly' turned arm with the inclined slot will cause the pin carrying ring to ,be retated in one direction or the other. When it is moved in such a position as to carry the pins into the outer or narrow portions of the slots, the balls will be free to be operated in the ordinary manner to clutch the shell to the shaft, while if the pins be moved in the opposite direction the balls will be held in the deeper portions of the pockets, and the clutch will be inoperative.

Should it at any time be necessary to get access to the interior of the clutch for the purpose of renewing the wear plates, or the rollers, or for any other like purpose, it is only necessary to move the shifting collar along the shaft, to unscrew the nuts holding the disks in positionand to slide them along the shaft away from the clutch member, whereupon the grooved shell upon which the ,cords are wound may be slid longitudinally of the shaft to expose the balls and plates. If it be necessary to-remove the balls and wear plates and replace the same, the pin rings are likewise shifted 1. longitudinally of the shaft, whereby the rollers and plates may be renewed as desired. All this may be accomplished without removing the cables from the drums, as there is sufficient slack in thecables to permit of the slight lateral motion of the shells necessary to efiect this movements By my present construction it will be seen that the two oppositely acting clutches are brought together upon the same portion of the shaft, and yet the interior parts of each are readily accessible.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a clutch, a driven shaft, an inner clutch member fast thereon and havin peripheral pockets and having a rigid we flange at one side of the pockets, an outer casing loose on the clutch member and supported at one side by said web, a removable retaining plate detachably connected to the inner clutch member and supporting the other side, and gripping devices in said pockets, substantially as described. 2. In a clutch, a'driven shaft, an inner clutch member fast thereon and having pe pockets, an arm on said ring and a member longitudinally movable on the shaft and having a portion in proximity to the arm,

said arm and-said portion having an inclined slot and the other a projection engaging the slot, substantially as described.

4. In a clutch, ardriven shaft, an inner clutch member fast thereon having pockets and a side web, an outer casing encircling said member and having one edge rotatably supported by said Web, a removable retaining member supporting the opposite edge With means for holding it in place, a rin seated between the inner clutch member an retaining member and havmg pins pro ect1ng into the pockets, gripping devices in the pockets, an arm on the ring projecting through a slot in the retaining device, and means cooperating with said arm for rotating the ring, substantially as described.

5. In a clutch, a driven shaft, a pair of inner clutch members fast thereon having oppositely inclined pockets and an intermediate Web, outer casings loose on, said inner clutch members and separated by said web, gripping devices in said pockets and removable retaining plates secured to the outer faces of said inner clutch members andifetaining the outer casings of the rings in place, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses. I

FRED STARR.

Witnesses:

. J. H. BACON,

JAs. F. HARAs'rA. 

